Daily Readings - Sun Mar 19 2023

¹And the Lord said to Samuel: "How long will you mourn for Saul, though I have rejected him, so that he would not reign over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and approach, so that I may send you to Jesse of Bethlehem. For I have provided a king from among his sons for myself.⁶And when they had entered, he saw Eliab, and he said, "Could he be the Christ in the sight of the Lord?⁷And the Lord said to Samuel: "You should not look with favor on his face, nor on the height of his stature. For I have rejected him. Neither do I judge by the appearance of a man. For man sees those things that are apparent, but the Lord beholds the heart.¹⁰And so Jesse brought his seven sons before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these.¹¹And Samuel said to Jesse, "Could the sons now be completed?" But he responded, "There still remains a little one, and he pastures the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse: "Send and bring him. For we shall not recline to eat, until he arrives here.¹²Therefore, he sent and brought him. Now he was ruddy, and beautiful to behold, and with a stately face. And the Lord said, "Rise up, anoint him! For it is he.¹³Therefore, Samuel took the horn of oil, and he anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord was guiding David from that day and thereafter. And Samuel rose up, and he went away to Ramah

Ephesians

Chapter 5

⁸For you were darkness, in times past, but now you are light, in the Lord. So then, walk as sons of the light⁹For the fruit of the light is in all goodness and justice and truth¹⁰affirming what is well-pleasing to God¹¹And so, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead, refute them¹²For the things that are done by them in secret are shameful, even to mention¹³But all things that are disputed are made manifest by the light. For all that is made manifest is light¹⁴Because of this, it is said: "You who are sleeping: awaken, and rise up from the dead, and so shall the Christ enlighten you.

John

Chapter 9

¹And Jesus, while passing by, saw a man blind from birth⁶When he had said these things, he spat on the ground, and he made clay from the spittle, and he smeared the clay over his eyes⁷And he said to him: "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated as: one who has been sent). Therefore, he went away and washed, and he returned, seeing⁸And so the bystanders and those who had seen him before, when he was a beggar, said, "Is this not the one who was sitting and begging?" Some said, "This is he.⁹But others said, "Certainly not, but he is similar to him." Yet truly, he himself said, "I am he.¹³They brought the one who had been blind to the Pharisees¹⁴Now it was the Sabbath, when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes¹⁵Therefore, again the Pharisees questioned him as to how he had seen. And he said to them, "He placed clay over my eyes, and I washed, and I see.¹⁶And so certain Pharisees said: "This man, who does not keep the Sabbath, is not from God." But others said, "How could a sinful man accomplish these signs?" And there was a schism among them¹⁷Therefore, they spoke again to the blind man, "What do you say about him who opened your eyes?" Then he said, "He is a Prophet.³⁴They responded and said to him, "You were born entirely in sins, and you would teach us?" And they cast him out³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?³⁶He responded and said, "Who is he, Lord, so that I may believe in him?³⁷And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him, and he is the one who is speaking with you.³⁸And he said, "I believe, Lord." And falling prostrate, he worshipped him

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of true sight and judgment. In the first reading, Samuel is sent to anoint a new king, but he learns that God does not choose based on outward appearance. Despite Eliab's impressive stature, it is David, the youngest and seemingly insignificant, who is chosen. This reminds us that God sees beyond the surface, looking instead into the heart. In the Gospel, Jesus heals a man born blind, yet the Pharisees fail to see the miracle's true significance. They are blinded by their own judgments and traditions, unable to recognize the divine work before them. The healed man, however, comes to faith, acknowledging Jesus as a prophet. This contrast highlights the difference between physical and spiritual sight. Ephesians encourages us to live as children of light, producing fruits of goodness, justice, and truth. This light should guide us to see beyond appearances and to act with integrity. Let us ask for the grace to look beyond the external, to judge with compassion, and to live in the light of Christ, allowing His truth to illuminate our path.